Some nights, nothing of note happens on the Cleveland sports scene. Others go absolutely crazy (and I'm not just talking about the glorious arrival of Johnny Manziel). The big league team got a win Thursday, but the minor leagues were filled with great performances as well. Adam Plutko put together the best outing of his career, Francisco Lindor hit a huge grand slam, Trevor Bauer continued dealing, and that is just the beginning. Join Jim Piascik as he recaps it all and takes you Around the Farm.

After trailing by five runs in the seventh inning, the Akron RubberDucks rallied on the strength of Francisco Lindor’s grand slam in the eighth, and stunned the Altoona Curve with a 9-7 victory in the opener of a four-game series at Canal Park.

Following a down season at the plate in 2013, it seemed like Roberto Perez was hitting the wall. But the new season brought Perez health and a reinvigorated performance as the catcher is enjoying the best offensive season of his professional career. Join Jim Piascik as he analyzes Perez, the continued emergence of Jordan Milbrath, and the rest of the action Wednesday night in the minor leagues as he takes you Around the Farm.

The Akron RubberDucks took on the Erie SeaWolves looking for win No. 21 Wednesday. Unfortunately for the RubberDucks, that win will have to wait as they fell to Erie, 10-3. Starter Cody Anderson lasted just 2.2 innings, giving up all 10 runs on nine hits. Enosil Ejada, Tyler Sturdevant and Shawn Armstrong combined to go 5.1 innings of shutout ball, but it was too little, too late for Akron.

Akron right-hander Toru Murata threw six shutout innings, and third baseman Ronny Rodriguez had three RBI as the Akron RubberDucks won their 10th consecutive game with a 4-2 victory over the Erie SeaWolves at Jerry Uht Park.

In this week’s first edition of Minor Happenings which focuses on the pitching in the Indians organization, the IBI's Tony Lastoria takes a look at the hot start by Robbie Aviles and why he has had more success this season. He also breaks down Trevor Bauer’s outstanding start to his season and the work he put in over the offseason to get where he is today, provides lots of comments and quotes from the front office on some key prospects at Triple-A Columbus, and provides insight and updates on players such as Austin Adams, Will Roberts, Cole Sulser, Kenny Mathews, T.J. House and more.

After a scoreless start, the Akron RubberDucks jumped out for a 10-1 win against the Erie SeaWolves, Monday. Akron, powered by multi-hit games from Tyler Naquin, Tyler Holt, Bryan LaHair, Joe Wendle, Bryson Myles and Ronny Rodriguez, finished the night with 16 hits, compared to four for Erie. Will Roberts did his part with 6.1 innings of three-hit, one-run ball.

It is Monday, which means it is time to recap all of the hot and cold performances in the Indians minor league system over the past week. The Hot List showcases the Top 15 performances from the previous seven days as well as the Bottom 5 performances over the past seven days, and includes insight, information and more on each player listed. Today’s listing includes 20 players and over 2500 words on players such as Francisco Lindor, Paul Hendrix, Anthony Santander, Kenny Mathews, Duke von Schamann, D.J. Brown and more.

Akron RubberDucks first baseman Ronny Rodriguez smacked a two-out, opposite-field double in the eighth inning Sunday, driving in the, eventual, winning run in a 5-4 victory over the Altoona Curve at People’s Natural Gas Field. The win completed a four-game series sweep for the RubberDucks (18-11), and extended the team’s winning streak to eight games. Akron is now 7-2 on the season against Altoona.

The Akron RubberDucks found a way to defeat not only the Altoona Curve, but also Mother Nature on Saturday night as they swept a doubleheader, 9-7, and 2-1, on a rainy night at People’s Natural Gas Field.

While attending a game at Canal Park this season, fans can "ooh and ah" at the fastballs popping in the high-90s on the scoreboard radar gun. Same with the visible, knee-buckling break of a curveball or slider. But the changeup is a less noticeable and understated element of pitching. Changeups may not be as sexy as fastballs or breaking balls, but they play a key role in a pitcher's development. Jim Piascik recently spoke with a collection of Akron RubberDucks pitchers and coaches about changeups, how each pitchers throws it, and what makes it so useful.

Funny thing in baseball. You never know when a one-run game is going to break out. That was the last thing the Akron RubberDucks were expecting as Friday night’s game with Altoona went to the bottom of the ninth with Akron holding a 5-1 lead in the series opener at People’s Natural Gas Field. Three singles and a two-run double later, the Ducks were clinging to a 5-4 lead with two outs and the potential tying run on third base. Closer Shawn Armstrong was summoned from the bullpen, and, after walking Stetson Allie to further complicate matters, he induced Mel Rojas, Jr. to fly out to left field, and end the nail-biter in Akron’s favor.

In today’s Minor Happenings the IBI's Tony Lastoria talks about the incredible strides that right-handed pitcher Jordan Milbrath has made in the organization since being drafted a little over 10 months ago. Tony also talks about catcher Roberto Perez’s improvement, provides some comments from the front office on several of the Indians higher profile pitchers, and provides lots of insight and information on the development so far this season for players like Carlos Moncrief, Joseph Colon, Shawn Morimando, Adam Plutko and others.

Committing to anything is tough when one spends six months of the year on the road, but Jordan Smith is managing a dual commitment between baseball and marriage. The IBI's Stephanie Metzger recently caught up with Smith and sat down to talk to him and Akron manager Dave Wallace about those commitments and what he is working on this season.

Giovanny Urshela's two-run, sixth-inning home run and Francisco Lindor's two-out, RBI single in the seventh inning helped the Akron RubberDucks rally from an early 3-1 deficit to defeat the Binghamton Mets, 4-3, on Tuesday night at Canal Park.

A day late but never a dollar short, it is time to recap all of the hot and cold performances in the Indians minor league system over the past week. The Hot List showcases the Top 15 performances from the previous seven days as well as the Bottom 5 performances over the past seven days, and includes insight, information and more on each player listed. Today’s listing includes 20 players and over 2000 words, and highlights players such as Roberto Perez, Jordan Milbrath, Carlos Moncrief, Michael Peoples and more.

The Akron RubberDucks defended their home diamond Monday by beating the Binghamton Mets. Will Roberts pitched six shutout innings while striking out seven. The Akron bullpen pitched three shutout innings with seven strikeouts, lead by Shawn Armstrong who tallied three strikeouts in his inning of work. Tony Wolters led the offense by going 2 for 4 with an RBI.

To start off The WAR Room, Jim Piascik will be going back to 2013 and going over last year's performances. Since we are nearly to the point of having enough minor league games in the books to have useful stats, he will be finishing the 2013 retrospective early (to get to 2014 sooner), bringing you all of the Akron, Carolina, and Lake County pitching stats today. Join Jim as he analyzes Cody Anderson, Cleveland's best minor league pitcher in 2013, other impressive starters like Joe Colon and Shawn Morimando, and much more.

The Akron RubberDucks struck twice in the seventh inning to seal a 2-1 victory against Altoona Saturday. Bryson Myles, Jordan Smith and Alex Lavisky each singled in the seventh to bring around the pair of runs. Akron had trailed for six and a half innings before making its late comeback.

Available IBI Books

The 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!